HTC Unlocks Bootloader For All of Its Devices

by aurelianito • 15 years ago

150 43 15 years ago

namtrac• 15 years ago

Not "All" but the newest line-up devices.

mrj• 15 years ago

Uhm, except they're only unlocking devices "launched after September 2011." That's overlooking a massive population of users who'd like to unlock their device because HTC has stopped supporting them.

This, so far, is BS.

darrenkopp• 15 years ago

All devices launched September 2011 and forward. I agree that they are missing a lot of previous devices, but there are already tools out there to unlock the bootloader on those devices.

If I were to make a guess, I would say the September 2011 mark is all devices that are using the current bootloader locking method, and so they are just supporting that instead of going through and making other programs for all previous versions.

miahi• 15 years ago

There are no simple unlock tools for some of the S-ON phones launched before September 2011 (with HBOOT 2.0). HBOOT can be downgraded[1], but it's quite complicated.

[1] http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1318919

51Cards3• 15 years ago

There is this line as well:

"We continue to work on models launched prior to September 2011, please check back often for the status of older devices."

My guess is the newest devices have an updated bootloader that they CAN unlock easily. I am betting they may even be stymied by the security they put in place on older devices. This series of events makes sense to me:

Spring 2011 - announce we're going to allow unlocking

Summer 2011 - update bootloader to be easily unlockable

Sept 2011 - start releasing updated loader on devices

Dec 2011 - final certification that this is all going to work OK and release to the public

2012 - figure out how to get around our own security on older devices

koenigdavidmj• 15 years ago

> 2012 - figure out how to get around our own security via OTA update on older devices.

??? - Convince carriers to actually take that update

notatoad• 15 years ago

considering that the custom rom crowd has figured out how to get around the security already, i find it hard to believe that HTC can't do it.

drivebyacct23• 15 years ago

The reaction I heard to this is that it does not bring S-OFF to these devices. Is this true? I've never quite understood this aspect of HTC devices.

sandycheeks2• 15 years ago

I think this is where they state that in the article.

"Please note that unlocking your bootloader does not mean that you will be able to unlock the SIM lock. Unlocking your SIM lock is at the discretion of your operator/carrier and is not part of the bootloader unlocking scope."

Is what they call SIM lock the same as S-OFF/S-ON? I always heard it called 'Security-ON/OFF'.

With S-ON you can still get temp root access (until you reboot) but can not run different ROMs as it prevents access to memory locations that need to be edited to do that.

To get S-OFF on my Evo Shift(Sprint), I had to downgrade it from Android 2.3 and use an old hack specifically because it was the only publicly known way to get S-OFF. There may be better way out now.

Unlocking the bootloader was easy. I could do that with temp root on 2.3. Getting S-OFF was the tricky part for me.

iscrewyou2• 15 years ago

S-Off gives you a permanent root with your rom. It also means you can change recoveries, hboot and all kinds of other system files and areas. It has nothing to do with Sim Lock or Unlock.

sandycheeks2• 15 years ago

Had a little time to dig around and found Sim Lock is different from s-off/on

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_lock

It appears S-OFF/ON is also set by the operator/carrier and not the manufacturer.

I'd love to see a definitive source about S-OFF/ON and how it is implemented. Especially, for the Sprint/HTC combination.

drivebyacct23• 15 years ago

No offense, but the answers here were either wrong or incomplete so I decided to look it up. For those who want the gist of the situation:

An unlocked bootloader allows for the booting of kernels that are not signed by HTC (and probably jointly the carriers).

S-OFF disables write protection on the /system and /boot partitions. It is part of the NVRAM of the radio and is patched during HBOOT, which I believe is HTC specific.

sources: http://alpharev.nl/

lnanek• 15 years ago

There is a FAQ question for this titled, "Why is my security still on (S-On) after I have unlocked my bootloader?": http://htcdev.com/bootloader/faq

Basically, enough partitions are unlocked to allow custom ROMs, but not to modify the radio or modify requiring a certain carrier's SIM card (SIM lock).

drivebyacct23• 15 years ago

Yeah, the problem with this is that blocking /boot from being written to prevents custom kernels, which is kind of a big deal. :/

quanticle2• 15 years ago

This is a canny business decision by HTC. The main problem with Android device manufacturers has been lack of continuing software support. Making an unlockable bootloader allows HTC to free itself from an long-term support commitment while simultaneously silencing the very critics that were pushing for that commitment in the first place.

rauar• 15 years ago

Or it's just a fishy tactic to increase the number of deniable warranty claims by making "unlocking" officially available to non-technical users.

w1ntermute• 15 years ago

I don't see the problem. The only people who really care about software updates (in the absence of show-stopping bugs) are those that are willing to install custom ROMs. We have a healthy compromise here that keeps both the carriers and the nerds happy.

I think we need to temper our expectations with respect to the mobile device industry. We might see smartphones as mini-computers, but the companies that make them do not, and neither does the vast majority of their target audience.

nitrogen• 15 years ago

Anyone installing apps on their phone will probably expect software updates. If their phone they bought a year ago won't work with the latest versions of their favorite Android Market games, due to requiring a newer version of Android, they'll notice.

coob• 15 years ago

> The only people who really care about software updates (in the absence of show-stopping bugs) are those that are willing to install custom ROMs.

I'm pretty sure developers care about users upgrading to the latest version. No one wants to be targeting ancient APIs.

quanticle2• 15 years ago

I'm not saying it's a problem. In fact, I think this is the best course of action that HTC could have taken. All I'm pointing out is that the motivation isn't as selfless as it might first appear. This move has a direct benefit for HTC, as well as for HTC's consumers.

jorgecastillo• 15 years ago

I was giving up on Android, if HTC keeps this policy in the future, I'll be giving up only on other brands. What is the point of having a smartphone (pocket computer?), if you can't make it work like you want.

Terretta4• 15 years ago

> What is the point of having a smartphone (pocket computer?), if you can't make it work like you want?

Ask yourself the same thing about a car. Or a toaster.

The point for most people is to have it work as designed and not have to think about it.

freehunter3• 15 years ago

Yet, like with cars, there exists a sizable community of people who want to put on bigger wheels/tires, a new turbo, a new stereo system, taller suspension, etc. A locked bootloader is the same as having a hood that can only be opened with the dealer's key.

ericabiz• 15 years ago

Try a Galaxy Nexus. You can easily unlock the bootloader on it and root it. And it doesn't come with all the junk that the other manufacturers install. Ice Cream Sandwich is amazing, too. The phone is really designed and built for geeks like us while still being easy to use.

fpgeek3• 15 years ago

While I'm a big HTC fan, I do feel the need to point out that Sony Ericsson, in addition to their admirable position on ICS updates, also officially supports bootloader unlocking: http://unlockbootloader.sonyericsson.com/

Hopefully their customer and developer friendly policies will survive their absorption into Sony proper (though there are, sadly, too many reasons to be pessimistic on that front).

Terretta4• 15 years ago

> HTC is committed to listening to users and delivering customer satisfaction [but] the behavior of your device might be altered including specific absorption rate (SAR) values.

Translation:

Look, you guys asked for this, so we're giving it to you, but it's probably going to fry your brain. Enjoy.

ConstantineXVI2• 15 years ago

They have to say that, in the event some idiot screws with their radio and actually does fry their brain out.

wnight• 15 years ago

What do they have to say concerning sharpening the phone to a fine point and stabbing yourself with it? Or coating it in honey and choking while trying to swallow it? Or lighting it on fire for warmth but having it set your clothes on fire when you put it in your pocket?

iscrewyou2• 15 years ago

Ordered a thunderbolt yesterday and it isn't one of the unlockable devices. Glad XDA exists.

fpgeek3• 15 years ago

Did you actually look at the supported devices list on htcdev.com? Or any of the other recent coverage like this:

http://lifehacker.com/5871759/htcs-official-bootloader-tool-...

Ironically, that article references an XDA report that the official unlock tool works on the Thunderbolt (shortly before HTC announced it).

dkd903• 15 years ago

No support for HTC Wildfire yet :(

StavrosK• 15 years ago

Where's the news here? That page has existed for months now, is there something new I don't see?

vsviridov• 15 years ago

Hey Motorola, get on board, damn it...

listening• 15 years ago

All these devices should boot to a simple, standard, (extendable) FORTH bootloader.

By all means, bundle some pre-packaged code to do all manner of silly things, but also allow users to run whatever code they want on the devices. Why is this such a difficult concept to accept?

Nothing has changed since the 1980's in this regard. Consumers still are paying for the hardware, in this case the mobile device. They cannot manufacture the cheap electronics and encasings themselves.

However they can replace bootloaders and firmware with free alternatives. Some can can write this code themselves. And sometimes they want to share their efforts with other enthusiasts in the public domain. Nothing has changed since the 1980's - it's still their right to do so.

HTC Unlocks Bootloader For All of Its Devices

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